Ruger .357 Blackhawk and heavy loads

David LaPell · Nov 26, 2011

I was looking at a .357 Blackhawk old model yesterday with a 6 1/2 inch barrel and was wondering (since the price was pretty good) about maybe getting one for a hunting rig for next year. I know what my Smith & Wesson revolvers can take, but I want to duplicate the original .357 loads from the 1930's and 1940's. A 158 grain bullet moving at 1,500 fps. I know Ruger's are tough, but I never pushed the older .357's I had (both my .357's were OM's) to that extreme. Either that or my 170 grain cast bullets (Ruger's cylinder is long enough I recall) at around 1,300 plus.

jforwel · Nov 26, 2011

I would stick with published data or try Buffalo Bore or Federal Cast factory loads that you know are at safe pressures. A lot of loads over the decades have been reduced as pressure measuring technology has improved.

I am not sure how long the BH cylinder is compared to the GP100 but I can just fit a 177gr 358429 SWC in my GP.

REP1954 · Nov 26, 2011

I have been shooting loads like that in my 357 Blackhawks since the mid 1970's and the only trouble I've had were two recoil plates set back and would let the primer flow into the recess and lock up the cylinder. Both guns that this happened to had been refinshed. One the gunsmith admitted to not removing the firing pin when rebluing and the other had been remove but reused. After replacing both recoil plates everything was fine.

Cholo · Nov 26, 2011

These are, um, a bit warm:

http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/default.asp?Caliber=357%20Magnum&Weight=158&type=Handgun&Order=Powder&Source=

http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/default.asp?Caliber=357%20Magnum&Weight=170&type=Handgun&Order=Powder&Source=

Don Lovel · Nov 26, 2011

A friend of mine had an old 357 Blackhawk that had been a range gun when Bianchi Cup Champion Riley Gilmore had his range in Tulsa. This Blackhawk had many thousands of rounds of dirty range reloads, customer brought in ammo and factory loads shot in it over the years it resided in the range rental cabinet. One day my friend was working the range and they decided to see just how much abuse this old Ruger could put up with.
They locked it in a Ransom Rest, ran a string off the trigger to outside the shooting booth and began running hot loads through it. After about 350 rounds of way too hot loads, it finally cracked the cylinder. They continued firing it and after another 200 ridiculously hot loads it finally locked up. They disassembled it, found a primer backed all the way out of a case blocking the pawl. Reassembled and put another 128 hot rounds through it and a piece of the cylinder popped off the crack.
They stopped shooting it, replaced the cylinder with another and fired it some more. Finally a fair sized piece of the forcing cone broke off and they gave up the abuse.
My friend said they tried that same sort of experiment with a S&W model 19 and locked the cylinder up after only about 30 shots with the same ammo the Blackhawk ate up.
I have seen some old Super Blackhawks with a cylinder exploded over the years, it always makes me cringe to think about how rude that would have been up close when it happened.

1ruger · Nov 26, 2011

I have a new model flattop in 357mag that I've used to hunt deer and hogs and now my wife uses to hunt.

I have two hunting loads for this revolver and both are warm. When hunting deer I load Speer 158gr JHP to 1,425 fps and when hunting hogs I load cast 180gr WFN-GC to 1,300 fps. These loads are loaded with H110 and velocities were measured in the 4 5/8" barrel.

We have fired over 500 rounds of these two loads without any sign of problems and fired brass from both loads will usually fall out of the cyliner by gravity alone.

I have not had the change to try the Speer JHP on a game yet but the 180gr WFN-GC load has taken 3 hogs and a deer now... all 4 animals only required one shot each.

Based on my experience with this revolver and loads I think you will be okay.